ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

'Happy in Her Own World' - Abhijit Nandi, India

This year The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management's Environmental Photographer of the Year competition received over 1,400 international entries for the categories Changing Climates, World of Difference, Quality of Life, The Natural World, and Under 21. A selection of the images is currently being shown at the Apothecary Gallery in Hammersmith, London. The overall winner was Abhijit Nandi, whose image is shown above.

Abhijit Nandi (image above)

"The woman is returning home from a paddy field in a remote village of West Bengal after a long day at work. As a farmer’s wife, she has to manage her home, child and help in the field. She never thought a village woman could be the subject of a photograph, so when I told her that I would like to take a picture, she just laughed. The mother and child, the green paddy field and the blue sky after rain fill me with happiness, hope and joy. There is also a strong suggestion of the renewal of life, with the cow being connected deeply to the fertility cult in Indian mythology." 

Ly Hoang Long

'Misty Morning' - Ly Hoang Long, Vietnam

"Dai Ninh Lake was formed by a dam for hydroelectricity. The place used to be an immense valley of green but is now full of water. Not only has its environment changed but now the farmer is the fisherman. This was taken in the early morning, when a man was taking hours to finish setting his fishing net."

Donnie Mackay

'The Wind Collector' - Donnie Mackay, Scotland

"The Wind Collector says everything about individual expression in wild natural landscapes and is a good metaphor for small scale, human-sized electricity generation and waste gathering in the Hebrides, where there is great discussion about industrialising the environment through wind farming."

Alex Masi

'An Illegal Tannery' - Alex Masi, England

"Two boys are using their legs to find the remaining skins in a bath of contaminated water during liming. Jajmau is home to 400 tanneries, 40 percent of which are illegal. Exploiting children for labour is largely accepted and the work is carried out in deplorable conditions. Most of Jajmau's products are exported to foreign destinations, including the EU.
"The area is also a danger to those living nearby, as high quantities of untreated water go directly into the river. Children are beginning to show symptoms of chromium contamination, while many complain about increasingly low yields of fish."

Peter Davies

'Pollsmoor Prison' - Peter Davies, England

"In Pollsmoor Prison, Cape Town, Essex charity worker Siobhan Mattimoe is talking to young prisoners in the juvenile wing of the prison. The institution (where Nelson Mandela was famously incarcerated) is vastly overcrowded, and only minimally equipped for short-term 'awaiting-trial' prisoners (though often residencies are up to six months). Many inmates are members of the 'Numbers' gangs, notorious for tattooing their allegiances on their faces.

"The exhibition at the Apothecary Gallery runs until 27 Feb. Find more info at www.londonapothecary.co.uk
To enter the next CIWEM Photographer of the Year competition , visit www.ciwem.org/arts/photographer

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